PimEyes launches facial recognition affiliate program, blocks Russian requests due to war

PimEyes, maker of a facial recognition search engine that helps people discover where photos of them have been used online, has started an affiliate program to increase awareness of its product by paying for successful recommendations.

PimEyes says it will pay a $10 commission for every successful referral to its basic plan, Open Plus; $25 for PROtect and $75 for its advanced plan. The company will also provide its affiliates with support, banners, digital assets, product images and promotional codes, according to the announcement.

It also says it will not honor Russian subscriptions due to its invasion of Ukraine. All Russia-based biometrics searches are being rejected.

At the same time, the company has issued a clearer renunciation of Russian subscriptions. Earlier reports about PimEyes’ stand on the matter were ambivalent.

Facial recognition is being used in the region to identify people at checkpoints and the deceased.

In a blog post, PimEyes states that there is an enormous volume of relevant video and photos from both sides of the conflict, and both want search access. The company is focusing on the identification of Ukrainian prisoners of war, refugees, soldiers, and civilians until the war ends.

In fact, PimEyes says it will cooperate with war crime investigations and aid international humanitarian organizations searching for missing people, war criminals and hostages.

U.S.-based competitor Clearview AI has not offered its facial recognition service in Russia.

PimEyes was founded in Poland and sold to a professor in Georgia, according to the New York Times. Both countries harbor large populations that oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

 

This post was updated at 6:44pm Eastern on May 10, 2022 to clarify that Clearview did not previously offer its facial recognition service in Russia.

Article Topics

biometric database  |  biometric identification  |  biometric matching  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  face photo  |  facial recognition  |  PimEyes  |  Russia  |  Ukraine